siserary Now dial.
(sɪsəˈrɛərɪ)
Forms: 5 sessarary, 7 sesarara, 8 ceserera; 7 sas-, 8–9 sass-, sussarara (9 sassaray); 7 sursurrara; 8 siserari, 8–9 -ary, 9 -ara; 7 sissara, 8–9 sisserara, 9 -ary.
[Popular corruption of certiorari.]
† 1. A writ of Certiorari. Obs.
| 1481–90 Howard Househ. Bks. (Roxb.) 196 My Lord payd to the Clerk of the Pece for a sesserary for the Vekery of Wyrmyngforde ij.s. vj.d. 1607 Middleton Phœnix C j, Heere a writ of Demur, there a Procedendo, heere a Sursurrara, there a Capiendo. 1607 Tourneur Rev. Trag. G iij, They cannot so much as pray, but in law, that their sinnes may be remou'd, with a writ of Error, and their soules fetcht vp to heauen, with a sasarara. 1620 Melton Astrolog. 67 Sissaras, Writs, Latitats and Procidendos. 1760–1 Smollett Sir L. Greaves ii, O! that there was a lawyer here to serve him with a siserari. |
2. with a siserary, with a vengeance; suddenly, promptly.
| 1607 W[entworth] S[mith] Puritan Widow ii[i]. iii, If it be lost or stole..a Cunning Kinsman of mine..would fetcht againe with a Sesarara. 1765 Sterne Tr. Shandy viii. xxi, It was on Sunday in the afternoon, when I fell in love all at once with a sisserara. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. xxi, ‘As for the matter of that,’ returned the hostess, ‘..out she shall pack with a sassarara’. 1770 Goldsm. Vic. W. (ed. 4) xxi, Gentle or simple, out she shall pack with a sussarara [edd. 1766, 1767 sass-]. 1829 Bentham Justice & Cod. Petit., Abr. Petit. Justice 71 I'll fetch you up with a sisserary. 1857 G. W. Thornbury Songs of Cavaliers & Roundheads 55 Tossing off Canary cups, With a Sassarara. |
3. A severe rebuke or scolding; a sharp blow; a torrent of (language).
| 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl. 15 May, I have gi'en the dirty slut a siserary. 1826 Scott Woodst. x, Master Holdenough..attacked it with such a siserary of Latin as might have scared the devil himself. 1850 G. W. Reynolds Myst. of Court i. 16 He was just inflicting a Sassarara upon the waiter for not keeping up a cheerful fire. 1893 H. T. Cozens-Hardy Broad Norfolk 5 One boy will give another a clip o' the head.., and once I heard a fellow say he had given another a sisserara. |
4. A loud clanging noise.
| a 1770 ‘Lady Ouncebell’ v. in Child Ballads II. 207 He heard the bells of the high chapel ring, They rang with a ceserera. a 1850 Ibid. 209 They made a loud sassaray. 1884 Athenæum 3 May 578/1, I..at last gave such a sussarara on the bell that I thought the deafest person must hear. |